The Year of the Lindworm
by Jet556
Summary: Fourteen years after Mumm-Ra's final defeat, Balor has been Chieftain of Evabon for a whole year and his marriage to Brigid is fast approaching. Loyalists of the late Alaksandu seek to replace Balor with Orsino, former herald of Mumm-Ra. Turning to necromancy they resurrect Mumm-Ra and march on Wilusa on Balor and Brigid's wedding day.
1. O Sleeper, Waken

**Welcome everyone. Let's get on with the show. Enjoy and review.**

**O Sleeper, Waken**

The night was cold in a remote, moonlit in Albalonga. Amidst flickering tapers and black blinking shapes, during the evanescing year of the Knucker, and the day before the year of the Lindworm.

A shrouded corpse lay on the ground before the gathered Evabon. Many of them were loyalists of the deceased Alaksandu but one was Orsino, one of the heralds of the long dead Mumm-Ra.

Indeed the corpse was that of Mumm-Ra himself.

"Mumm-Ra's resurrection is the key to our destiny!" said Orsino, pointing at the corpse. "Who will give their blood to resurrect him?"

There was none who dared give up their life for Mumm-Ra's resurrection. The loyalists of Alaksandu were uncertain of whether they wanted to regain Wilusa like this. They had to be a way that didn't require bringing back a monster that the labinnac, enemy of the Evabon, had flocked to. Orsino had fought alongside those anthropophagites he was a traitor who had aligned himself with a demon from some far off star!

Finally one of them stood up.

"I shall give my life."

And so it was that the blood of the sacrifice was poured onto the corpse. Within moments, there was once more life. Gone were the marks of death that had taken the Ever-Living from the mortal plane. Once more Mumm-Ra lived!

As Mumm-Ra returned to life, any marks of age and battle vanished from Orsino! Mumm-Ra was truly alive!

"Orsino… I always thought it would have been Donalbain to bring me back." There was a tone of disgust in Mumm-Ra's voice. Out of his three Evabon heralds, he had always held Donalbain in the highest regard. Donalbain was dishonorable, hubristic, perfidious to anyone that was not Mumm-Ra, and kingly. "Where is he?"

"I last saw him fourteen years ago… A statue crushed him."

"And Pumyra?"

"I know not." Orsino swallowed. "But I do know the location of the Evabon who marked you… He is in Wilusa!"


	2. The Bad Zephyr Blusters

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**The Bad Zephyr Blusters **

Gard stood upon the wall of Wilusa. The zephyr that blustered was a bad one there was something sinister afoot. From the walls he could see shapes moving in the darkness by the light of the moon, one of them seeming all too familiar.

"Procyon, Jaga, Wodanaz, anyone… Could it really be him?" The sound of footsteps caused Gard to turn his head. It was Llud. "Your story quickly."

"A few of Alaksandu's loyalists have been seen in Wilusa." Stated Llud. "No doubt they wish to assassinate Balor."

"Hmm." Gard began to walk along the wall, Llud following him. "This year of the Lindworm has been born in attack, contagion and anarchy. It seems all too familiar."

"And Balor is ill." Commented Llud. "Do you suppose it is the same contagion that struck down the Chieftain of Albalonga and his children?"

Gard shook his head. This illness was different. There was no changing of the skin to purple and then to black.

Balor and Brigid were to be married on the morrow. This couldn't have been more dramatic.

Finally, Gard stopped and turned to face Llud. "Llud, I have a mission for you. I want you to go to Thundera, the Fishmen, the Berbils, the Elephants and the Dogs and tell them to meet me at Mount Belverus by the time the tolac bane is in bloom!"

"That won't be for another six months! Surely, it won't take that long."

"You can't be so sure with things like this." Gard put a hand on Llud's shoulder. "Besides, when the news of his return reaches everyone there will be great preparations."

"Who?"

"You'll know when you hear of it!"

"Hear of it!" Just go and send Uther to see me!"

"Uther?" asked Llud. "But why?"

"There is no time for it, Llud!" Gard pointed out of Wilusa. "Be quick! We'll be facing someone worse than Alaksandu very soon!"


	3. The Bluff's Falter

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**The Bluffs Falter**

Balor sat by the bluffs on the northern side of Wilusa. He was ill strange it was, not like something natural. Sitting with him was his cousin Uther, who could have been mistaken for Balor from a distance. Uther was the same build as Balor, the same height and his skin the same shade of grey he looked very much like Balor except for the face.

"Is it wise to be in such a place?" asked Uther, looking up at the bluffs.

Balor did not answer. He merely thought of his childhood, his mother and many more things. He did not wonder why Uther had been sent to him for company. Although he was his cousin, Uther was not one Balor liked to be with because he never wanted to talk and had only spoke because he did not like the look of the bluffs.

Instantly, Balor thought of his childhood adventures. Most specifically his adventures with Brigid and Kernunnus… Kernunnos… He was not in Wilusa anymore…

And then a sound came to Balor's ears!

"Balor, look out!" Balor looked up and saw the bluffs falter. He leapt out of the way but Uther was not so lucky. Uther had been crushed by the bluffs!

Looking at the body of his cousin, Balor felt that this was no accident. Indeed when the demon Mumm-Ra appeared Balor knew it wasn't. The look on Mumm-Ra's face was not one of surprise but rather intrigue.

"Gard's pup is the Wilusan leader now?" Mumm-Ra did not give a laugh. "Not just any pup but the runt! Where is he?"

"He's got to be here somewhere, master!" And then came Orsino. Other Evabon were looking at Uther's crushed form and talking of how Balor was dead, when it was Uther they looked upon. "But start by killing the runt!"

Mumm-Ra raised a hand and instantly Balor fell to the ground. "Kill? No… I shall entertain myself by listening to his agonies… Is the torture of others not something you find entertaining, Orsino?"

"I find the slaughter of others entertaining, Great One."

"Take the runt and place him elsewhere for the time being."


	4. From What Pit Have You Crept

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

"**From What Pit Have You Crept?"**

When Balor regained consciousness he wondered if he had, for he founds things just as dark as when his eyes were shut! And then came Mumm-Ra creeping towards him.

"From what pit have you crept?" asked Balor. The last he had seen Mumm-Ra, Lion-O had impaled him upon the Sword of Omens some fourteen years ago. Mumm-Ra was dead and yet here he was as alive as he had been fourteen years ago!

"From one more terrible than the nine circles the evil of your race are condemned too… Yet it is Addicus who suffers worst of all." Mumm-Ra placed a finger on a scar on Balor's cheek. "You are all the same… No matter which of you I look upon there is always scars… Where is Gard? Where is the one who marked me shortly before my demise?"

"How should I know?" Balor looked around. This place did not look like Mumm-Ra's pyramid or anywhere in Wilusa. "I don't even know where I am!"

"Deep beneath Wilusa… In Wilusa's oldest chamber." Mumm-Ra looked at the chains that held Balor in place. "A stronger Evabon would have broken those… Not that it matters Wilusa is Orsino's now! A bust in my likeness has been put in the fane where your shamans practice their arts, the shamans of Wilusa are all dead save for you. Incense is burned before my bust… Orsino rules Wilusa but as he serves me I have become the backer avatar of Wilusa."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"No, I desire entertainment… My acts of abuse shall bring you affliction and from that I shall have my sport!" Mumm-Ra then looked at the lightning bolt scar on Balor's arm. "It is Lion-O I wish to kill, I wish to take the Eye of Thundera… He has the Spirit Stone still no doubt, the Soul Stone too but where is the Tech Stone?"

"I was not involved in what happened to it?"

"And why not?"

"I was a boy when you were defeated for the final time." Balor looked at a scar on Mumm-Ra's neck. It had been there that Gard had marked him Lion-O's strike had been to the chest. "I was not involved in what happened to it but I shall tell you this much, the birds do not have it so it is futile to return to Avista." Balor then looked at the wall. "I grow tired of your company, demon. Leave me."

Leave Mumm-Ra did. He was in no mood for sport, merely for informing and questioning.


	5. The Haunter of the Cavities

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**The Haunter of the Cavities**

In the darkness, Balor was left to wonder. How long would it be until Mumm-Ra returned to torture him so joy could be brought to that demonic face? Did his people really believe him dead? Had the shamans of Wilusa really been killed? Was there really a bust of Mumm-Ra in… Just thinking of all of that made Balor sad. Sad for his people and sad for his brother shamans but most of all sad for Brigid!

He and Brigid were to be married. But now what? His people believed him to be dead… He'd never be able to see Brigid again now.

"Balor?" It seemed Balor had thought too soon. That had been Brigid's voice!

"Brigid?" Balor's eyes widened as Brigid entered in the chamber. Was it really her? She had been robbed of her veil and dress and was now barely dressed at all! Save for some bits of cloth to make sure she would not be bare she was practically bare.

"It's me, Balor…" She ran forward and embraced her beloved. "I didn't believe you were dead. Gard sent me to find you, he waits for you outside of Wilusa."

"Brigid, why are you dressed like that?"

Brigid's heart sank. Balor could tell, in the fourteen years he had known her Balor could always tell when she was sad. "Orsino has it in his mind to make a seraglio, he has added me to it to show his victory of Wilusa. All because you were the Chieftain of Evabon." With a key in her delicate hand, Brigid unchained Balor.

And then a lindworm walked into the chamber! Long it had haunted the cavities beneath Wilusa never as gentle as Knuckers a Lindworm was trouble! In Evabon culture, the Lindworm was the symbol of death and evil, opposite the Knucker who was the symbol of life and good. And then there was the Amphithere! The symbol of all in between! These three creatures made up the Evabon zodiac. Always there would be a year of the Knucker, a year of the Lindworm and a year of the Amphithere. Balor had met Brigid in a year of the Amphithere, yet they had been born in a year of Lindworm. That specific year had seen much anarchy in the Evabon world.

One would have thought the Lindworm would have attacked but it did not. Lindworms are terrible cowards and will not attack if there is more than one of their quarry! The Lindworm departed but would eventually find prey.

Brigid guided Balor out of the caverns beneath Wilusa. Never did they cross paths with the Lindworm. Never would they see each other again for months after this. Balor would be going with Gard on a journey.


	6. The Drive of a Blade

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**The Drive of a Blade**

Waiting in the moonlight, Gard looked up at the moon. Zuvowang and Dalv had gone to gather allies. Mumm-Ra was alive again just as he had expected. Many friends were going to be needed. Especially the ones who had started the fight against Mumm-Ra ages ago!

More than the drive of a blade would be needed. This time Mumm-Ra's entire body would have to be destroyed.

"Procyon…" Gard held up a hand as if to touch the moon, no matter how far out of reach it was. "Wodanaz… Aid us!"

As Balor and Brigid came out from the tunnel, Gard turned to look at them. There they were. They would not be seeing each other again until this was all over.

"Gard, what are we going to do?" Balor walked over to Gard, the younger Evabon looking at his elder with confused eyes. "Lion-O has most of the stones except for the one that was lost… Are we supposed to go after the stone that's missing? And Mumm-Ra's gauntlet and sword? Are we supposed to go after those too?"

Gard just shook his head. "I don't know." Sitting down on a rock, he looked up at the sky. "All I do know is that we need everyone who helped the ThunderCats finish Mumm-Ra the first time!" And then an idea came to him. "Yet there may be something… The Pike of Light! Mumm-Ra is greatly a creature of darkness so something of the light must be able to defeat him."

"Alright, so where do we start?"

"Cairn na Cairbre."

"Oh, yes?" asked Balor. "And where might that be?"

"That is what Evabon even from my youth have been trying to figure out!" Gard walked over to Brigid. "We'll have to leave you at Citadel Corbenik."

"Why? I'm coming with you!" Brigid's response caused Gard to role his eyes. His good eye at least, his bad eye remained stationary. So terrible was the damage to his right eye that it couldn't even move, no sight, no tears, nothing. "Don't roll your eye at me! I'm coming! With Zuvowang absent, I shall speak for myself. Balor is not yet my husband and thus you can't make decisions for me." Were Balor still Chieftain of Evabon, he could instantly overrule his eldest living relative, which Gard was. Since Zuvowang was far from Wilusa, he could do nothing to tell Brigid if she could and could not come with them. And since Balor and Brigid were not yet married, Gard could not yet use his in-law status. Since Gard was Zuvowang's elder by a year, he would have been able to overrule Zuvowang.

Gard just shook his and gave a laugh. "Citadel Corbenik is a long distance, either you or I may change your mind upon reaching it."


	7. The Dissevering of the Chador

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**The Dissevering of the Chador **

Holding Brigid's veil, Orsino looked at it with less than gentle eyes. Piece by piece he ripped it apart. He was bored.

As Mumm-Ra came walking into the garden where the great tree stood, Orsino looked at Mumm-Ra with curious eyes. What were they going to do now?

"Orsino!"

"Your divineness?"

"Prepare the troops and march to Thundera." Mumm-Ra's voice was ever in the same tone. If it ever changed Orsino would at least know what Mumm-Ra was thinking.

Orsino didn't know how to properly explain this to Mumm-Ra. Even with him here there was opposition to Mumm-Ra's take over. His pyramid had been destroyed in the final battle years ago so it was here in Wilusa that Mumm-Ra would make his base of operations.

"That may be difficult, your divineness." Orsino continued to rip the veil apart. "We may have conquered Wilusa but we have yet to crush all opposition." Orsino looked at Mumm-Ra, a twinge of fear in his blackened heart. He might not have been abled to die thanks to Mumm-Ra's power but he could be tortured and feel pain. "I mean not disrespect."

"No, you're right." Mumm-Ra's answer shocked Orsino. He had been expecting an entirely different response. "Balor is a Gardite and the rest of them will want to avenge him. They must be either eradicated or broken. If we kill Gard, the father of their house, then their spirit shall be broken!" A cruel, harsh laugh came from Mumm-Ra's lips causing Orsino to back away. "It is more entertaining to break someone than to merely kill them." Orsino looked at one of the Evabon who present and made a gesture to leave. "Call forth the Labinnacs. Send them to Thundera, they will remember you and thus remember me. You are not to leave Wilusa, Orsino. Remain here and crush all opposition!" Mumm-Ra then began to walk away. "I shall seek Gard, if he is in Thundera then I shall have an even greater victory in claiming the stones as well!"

Orsino returned to ripping Brigid's veil apart. It had always been Donalbain who had been more confortable in Mumm-Ra's presence. He practically worshipped the ground Mumm-Ra had walked upon! And that only begged the question. Did Donalbain still live? If so then, where was he now? And was he returning to once more serve Mumm-Ra? 


	8. Ebbing Ashes

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**Ebbing Ashes**

Deep in the wilderness, Gard, Balor and Brigid sat in a cave around a fire with ebbing ashes. Scratching his right cheek, Gard looked at those younger than him with his good eye.

"Doesn't this take me back?" He said. "Last time we were sitting in a cave around a fire was for the Karkhemish championship. If I remember correctly I won in both the joust and the brawl but lost when it came to archery… The wind had been against me."

"The wind had been against everyone." Commented Balor.

Gard didn't give a reply. He knew the wind had been against everyone that day but he had suffered the hardest being the best archer of the Wilusan clans. His arrow had ended up in a fruit some thirty feet away from the target.

"It hadn't been that bad." Said Brigid, clutching the single braid in her hair. It had grown longer since her childhood. The veil she wore had been to keep the hair up instead of just a fashion choice as it had been in her childhood. Brigid had grown more beautiful since childhood and had become considered the most beautiful Evabon woman in the Wilusan clans. "Zuvwang only one because his idea of making arrows out of metal had worked."

Gard gave a chuckle. That had been an odd idea. Zuvowang might not have been the smartest person no matter the race but his odd ideas could sometimes come in handy.

"That it did." He looked into the ashes and then looked at the two young people before him. He remembered his youth. It hadn't been wasted it hadn't been horrible it had been fair overall. "I think we may have spoken long enough. Time to sleep." He lied down and rolled over onto his side. Then closing his eyes he went to sleep, not heavily though. Someone like Gard was not a heavy sleeper.

Balor and Brigid soon followed suit but not at the same time. First Brigid followed and after about an hour of thinking Balor was sleeping.

And so it was that they dreamed. They dreamed the dreams of freedom, love, adventure and many more things.

Many a thing did appear in the dreams: avatars and animals, the light and the dark, the good and the evil, the peaceful and the warlike. All these things did appear!

They were influences of the things happening in the world.


	9. It Is the Chieftain or His Apparition

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

"**It Is the Chieftain or His Apparition!"**

The next morning, Balor had risen bright and early. It was nice out considering the situation he was in. Balor looked at himself in his reflection in the water. Grey skin, black hair, blue eyes quite a few scars here and there. A lightning bolt shaped scar on his right arm, a scar running across his right his right eye and cheekbone, a few minor scars… All he wore was a headband and a black loincloth. One a sheath on his left arm was a blade. The sword of his namesake he had left in Wilusa, in a stone was where it was. He was no different now then when he was before he had become Chieftain of Evabon… He would still be Chieftain of Evabon if not for Mumm-Ra. Even as a child he hadn't been any different. All that was different now was that he was bigger, had a few new scars and… What was there for him to compare?

"Grandfather Wodanaz, please aid me." He said, his voice deep. When he had been a boy never would anyone have thought his voice would have been deep! "I don't know what to do. Where am I to go? Send me a sign."

And then a voice came to Balor's ears. "It is the Chieftain or his apparition!"

Balor looked and saw some Evabon. Wilusans, he knew them! Yun, a green Evabon with red eyes, was the most recognizable amongst them.

"I'm no apparition, Yun." Said Balor, walking towards Yun with open arms. "I am alive."

"But Orsino said you were…" Yun stroked his beard. "You live and yet he says you are dead… He forces all of Wilusa to worship that demon Mumm-Ra! He is having cities and monuments built in honor of Mumm-Ra! He is forcing our warriors to fight each other to the death all to honor Mumm-Ra!"

"Already?"

"Yes! And recently this new one showed up! 'Donalbain' they call him bringing a jackal and vulture with him! Donalbain is already forcing Orsino from power!"

Donalbain returned? With Kaynar and Vultaire? He did swear that he'd bring back all deserters just after Mumm-Ra died… And then the statue of that Ancient Spirit of Evil came crashing down on him. The fact that Donalbain still lived and had returned a day after Balor had been removed from power… How far away had Donalbain been? Mumm-Ra's pyramid was far from Wilusa and yet Donalbain had arrived here rather recently.

Orsino was not one to fear. Jaques had been killed on grounds of Mumm-Rana. Donalbain still lived and the most fear inducing of the three.


	10. A Piece from the Pyramid

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**A Piece from the Pyramid**

Standing at a height of eight feet inches, Donalbain towered alarmingly over all present. Before the Setanta tree where Piyamaradu had long ago sat by, Donalbain looked at Orsino, Kaynar, Vultaire, the Evabon who were barely loyal to Mumm-Ra, the labinnacs that had come to once more fight for Mumm-Ra and then there were all of the Evabon who had no love for Mumm-Ra. Those not loyal to Mumm-Ra would have done something if they weren't hopelessly outnumbered by all the labinnacs. In Donalbain's right hand was a blazing cresset.

"Wilusans, labinnacs…" Donalbain looked at Kaynar and Vultaire. "Attempted absconders…" He then looked at Orsino. "Worm… Today, you see the end of an era. The age of shamans is over. Now and forever this is the Age of Mumm-Ra!" Donalbain bowled the cresset at the Setanta and watched with a barbarous expression as the flames engulfed the tree. Once the tree had burned down, a statue of Mumm-Ra, made from a piece of Mumm-Ra's pyramid, was put in its place. Those who had made the statue had done the impossible. They had made Mumm-Ra look even more demonic. "And now for the sacrifice!" Donalbain pointed an eight-year old child, grey skinned of course. "To death with him!"

And soon enough the boy was dead. With a goblet of his blood in one hand, Donalbain hailed the new age. Kaynar showed the same amount of enthusiasm as the labinnacs and Donalbain did. Orsino and Vultaire both showed a less than impressed look with the same thought in their heads. Donalbain was insane.

Orsino felt a desire to remove Donalbain and take over once again. He was older than Donalbain, Jaques had been too and yet Donalbain had taken control as soon as he could. If Mumm-Ra's spell weren't keeping them invincible as long as he lived, Orsino would have killed Donalbain. If Donalbain hadn't been present when Jaques had been killed on the grounds of Mumm-Rana and far too intelligent for his own good, Orsino would have tricked him there.

As Donalbain drunk deeply from the goblet, he noticed as Vultaire left with Orsino. He then looked at a labinnac, Braks, and motioned for him to come forward.

"What do you demand of me, Herald of the All-Powerful?"

"Orsino and Vultaire." Donalbain pointed at Braks' eyes. "Watch them!"

Braks turned to look around. "They aren't here!"

"Let me reiterate. Keep an eye on them!"

Braks nodded and then departed. To serve those who served the All-Powerful was all he desired.


	11. Brands of the Austral

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**Brands of the Austral**

Days had passed and finally Balor had found himself travelling alone. Brigid was at Citadel Corbenik for her own safety, Gard waiting in the center of the wilderness for when Llud would arrive with those who had defeated Mumm-Ra years ago.

But for Balor in the lands to the south questions of Cairn na Cairbre was all he ever asked. In a town where many a person of many a race dwelt Balor asked around. And yet he could find no answer. And then someone familiar appeared.

"Why is the Chieftain of Evabon so far from Wilusa?" The accent was provincial Thunderan. The voice belonged to that of a young man. It was WilyKat!

"Why is a ThunderCat so far from Thundera?"

"Got bored."

"Mages, schemers, backstabbers… I'm not sure if the ones that are responsible count as the last one though. They might be Evabon but they don't know anything about authority except the power of a demon."

"What?" Balor explained everything. He explained Mumm-Ra's sudden reappearance, his flight from Wilusa his seperation from Gard and Brigid… Everything! "And this Cairn na Cairbre holds the Pike of Light?"

Balor nodded. "From what Gard said it should. Problem is nobody knows where it is." Cairn na Cairbre was half-myth, half-legend. If the tomb of that fabled warrior did exist then it had to be somewhere. The only question was where? The Evabon were all over Third Earth and there had never been any indication where Cairbre had come from. There was in total four Evabon nations. The first and foremost of those nations was Wilusa. It was the most powerful of the Evabon nations the one from which Evabon civilization had sprung and to rule it meant one would practically rule all of Evabondom! The second was Albalonga, who years ago had become Wilusa's ally. The third was Lodbrok, the most violent of them to the point that axes were used to cut hair, the funeral ship was still used and Wodanaz's name was shouted when warriors attacked and died. The fourth was… Yes! That must have been where Cairn na Cairbre was! Garoh, the most mysterious of all Evabon nations!

Garoh was further south where the brands of the austral were frequently stained with ichor. Garoh jealously guarded its lands from invaders that would seek to cultivate the land. Garoh was the least known of Evabon nations to other races and what they did not know about they would demonize. That was as it was but not for long.


	12. The Fang of the Lindworm

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**The Fang of the Lindworm**

In Wilusa, Donalbain held up his sword. Looking at his sparring partners with cruel eyes, Donalbain waited for the first one to attack. He stood there for minutes waiting. None of his sparring partners wanted to attack first. Donalbain usually killed anyone who sparred with him.

"You know Orsino I don't know why you'd want Brigid as a war prize. She was hardly the kind to stay here whimpering in fear. She ran away he first chance she got! I wouldn't want the kin of my enemy to bear my children. The thought of breeding with her is as loathly an idea as armistice." Donalbain looked over to Orsino who was standing by a wall, Braks nearby him. "However, she is rather comely… As humble Evabon go."

"Your ideal companion is the kind of gentlewoman who would rip your throat out." Commented Orsino, looking at Donalbain's sword. The Fang of the Lindworm people were calling it.

"Yes… Yes she is…" Donalbain gave a cackle. "Oh, if only Pumyra had been born an Evabon. "What children we'd have brought forth!" Donalbain took a step forward, frightening one of his sparring partners. "I loved her because I never met a woman amongst our own race that made me feel such things! Her chews and abrasions… The kind of woman who'd say she'd kill herself if I touched her but to my thinking would kill herself if I didn't. Who would have thought a Thunderan… A cat would be so Lodbrokian!" Donalbain gripped the Fang of the Lindworm. "Hurry up now, either you act or I act… Either way you'll be dead."

Two of the sparring partners charged only for Donalbain to quickly cut them down.

"So you've got a heart." Commented Orsino.

Donalbain didn't give an answer to that. He just moved in and killed the rest of his sparring partners. He then turned and looked at Orsino. He did not say a word. He just looked at Orsino. He then motioned for Braks to come forward. Once with him, the two walked away.

"Did you mean that?" asked Braks. "That you loved this Pumyra?"

"I don't know. If I did it might have just been some fleeting feeling of finally finding a woman who can match me. The only man who can match me is Gard. He is a worthy opponent but he is no more than that: an opponent."

"Do you miss her?"

Braks' question was answered by worst way possible: Donalbain grabbing him by the neck. The look in his eyes told Braks he had touched a nerve.

"I want three days of freedom from disturbance." Growled Donalbain. "Should anyone disturb me, I will kill them." Braks didn't expect Donalbain to do anything else.

Letting go of Braks and walking away, Donalbain felt a whole storm of curses inside. Choler, arrogance, bluff, agitation, abominate, bitterness, dolor and dementia.

Mumm-Ra and Pumyra… The former called the latter beloved. The former Donalbain worshipped like a god, the latter Donalbain had an adoration for. He was torn between religious devotion and concupiscent folly.


	13. An Apparition Out of Yore

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

"**An Apparition Out of Yore"**

Balor and Kat both looked at a map. It was basically a map of the surrounding areas of where they were. They knew Garoh was far south and from what they saw from their map, there was quite a bit of unexplored territory.

"So you will go back to Thundera and I will go south to look for Garoh?" asked Balor. He wanted to be reassured that Kat knew what they were both doing. Kat decided that he'd go back to Thundera to tell the other ThunderCats and Balor decided that he would head south to Garoh to try and find it.

"Of course, the rest of the ThunderCats need to know that Mumm-Ra is back." Kat looked at the map with uneasy eyes. "Are you sure you can find your way to Garoh?"

"All I have to do is go south." Replied Balor. There was nothing hard about going south. All Balor had to do was walk south. If he walked south, he would reach Garoh eventually. "Besides, Mumm-Ra is an apparition out of yore. More people need to know he's back."

"Alright." Kat put a hand on Balor's shoulder. "I'll see you again when Mumm-Ra is dead once more."

And with that the two parted ways. Neither knew how long it would be until they once more met. Neither knew if they would see each other again. All they had to do was go their ways, to Thundera for Kat and to Garoh for Balor.

Indeed Mumm-Ra was a dangerous individual. There were things Mumm-Ra had done that only the ThunderCats were aware of, the Birds and Lizards too. What he had done to create the Sword of Plundarr had caused the deaths of millions. The Evabon weren't even a thought in Mumm-Ra's head, just the fact that a few had caused him to remember them as individuals caused him to turn his attention to them. Donalbain, Orsino and Jaques were just weapons to him, choosing the most common race on Third Earth and members of that race with much darkness in their hearts.

To Balor, Mumm-Ra had only been a name. Someone he had only seen once. Despite that, he was someone that Balor had feared and hated. Until this year, Mumm-Ra had just been some half-fabled demon. During the Mumm-Ra war, Balor had heard so much about Mumm-Ra none of it good. Most of it was to instill terror into Mumm-Ra's enemy. It had been propaganda, nothing more nothing less. Little did he know that the demon was far more dangerous than his legend! Now he did. He knew Mumm-Ra was something evil, either equal to or greater than Sotark's evil.

Mumm-Ra was no apparition. He was a demon of the worst kind!


	14. The Coal Black Fist of Mumm-Ra

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**The Coal Black Fist of Mumm-Ra**

In the wilderness, Gard waited. Night had fallen over the land and the sounds of many nocturnal beasts were to be heard! Gard was never away from the wilderness for long. This was his home every footprint and fall of a leaf meant so much to him as anything else would to anyone else.

Turning his head, Gard saw a Dark Stalker move along a path, the panther-like quadruped giving him no notice. It was never that sort of creature that the ThunderCats had ever encountered. Many of the beasts of the wilderness were mysteries and myths to those who did not make this place their home.

Again turning his head, Gard saw a Nahuelito surface for air in the nearby lake. What mysteries were these to him? He knew the wilderness like the back of his hand and yet it still hid its secrets jealously even from him.

Finally a sound came to Gard's ears. Wings… A Popobawa probably! Some people called those things appearance-adapters, giants or even apparitions. Gard knew what they were though: devils unleashed by pythonesses or by a djinn, the latter most likely. They were dangerous creatures that did not bother Gard, he had killed many a Popobawa, those supernatural counterparts of the Olitiau! Skeptics called them incubuses brought on by episodes of slumber diplegia but Gard knew, as did anyone who had ever been attacked by one. They would never bother him, he had killed so many that they left him alone, but others weren't so lucky. It would terrorize one for an hour and would keep returning to one for longer and more violent periods unless the individual told others of the devil.

The sound stopped. Must have been too far away to hear now.

Another sound then came to his ears. Footsteps, stealthy ones! Some old brown animal probably!

And then Gard saw the coal-black fist.

It was him.

As Mumm-Ra walked into view Gard saw a smile as he spied the mark he had left on the monster.

"I knew you to be fell, Mumm-Ra, but mean as well?" asked Gard. By 'mean' he meant 'petty.' His intentions was to make sure Mumm-Ra would never forget him when he left his mark. It would seem he had succeeded.

Mumm-Ra gave no response. Battle would be joined.


	15. The Homecoming of the Buccaneer

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**The Homecoming of the Buccaneer **

Balor had come to the seaport of Bloodaxe where three years prior he had departed to search for the Ruby Knucker as a member of the crew of the Fairhair. It was hardly a friendly looking port. Anyone who came from this port was called a buccaneer but Balor had hardly been the kind to qualify but still he was still called one by those who recognized him. Lib swore he'd never return to this place but Balor needed a day's rest and it was better to rest in Bloodaxe where the law was to not harm anyone there.

Bloodaxe had not changed much in three years. It was still the same place. The center of the town was still a circle of bones, pottery, stones and beast hides. The house of the guards was still a place of wood and earth. The docks were still just the shore with trees on them. The food was still stored in a pit. The houses still looked like they could be blown away by a strong wind. The granary still looked like it could be toppled with ease. Nothing had really changed.

This wasn't a true homecoming though. Bloodaxe was not Balor's home and he was not a buccaneer. Wilusa was his home and it was under the ruler of a fanatic of the worst kind. He was not a buccaneer he knew that. He was not quite sure what he was. The Chieftain of Evabon was what he was but what was the Chieftain of Evabon? Was that the true Balor or was his days before becoming chieftain where the true Balor was? Did the true Balor still live or was he dead? Who was the mask and who was the face beneath it? Did Balor know anyone who was there true self and not a mask?

Had the Lion-O he met been the true Lion-O? Had he been any different before becoming Lord of the ThunderCats?

What did Balor know of such things? He could only wonder who the true Balor was, who the true anyone was.

He was no buccaneer. He was closer to being a shaman than a buccaneer. He would not steal from anyone. Balor had been given the sense of honor that living alongside Gard gave him. He was honorable.

It was that sense of honor that drove him to return to Wilusa, liberate his people from a dictator that worshipped a demon from beyond the known stars. Be it with staff or sword or both he would liberate his people. When Mumm-Ra first returned he had taken Thundera, now that he had returned again Wilusa was his. What was to be done to keep Mumm-Ra permanently dead? The piercing of his heart with the Sword of Omens had not stopped him. What was to be done? There had to be a way to stop Mumm-Ra for good! There just had to be!


	16. Dark-Barricaded Garoh

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**Dark-Barricaded Garoh**

When Balor had reached Garoh, he wondered if he had because this place was more of a ruin than Wilusa. He saw no sign of any people in Garoh and the wilderness that surrounded the place was so dense that Balor had difficultly remembering if he had been on the same trail before.

Garoh was not much to look at. Any Evabon city was not much to look it since Evabon did not build cities anymore and thus looked liked they had seen better days five hundred years ago. Thundera's ruins had looked better.

"Hello!" Balor called out but there was no answer. Where was everyone? Was Garoh abandoned? There was no sign of anyone, not even a sound. Since silence was something rarely was ever truly there, this was something that disturbed Balor.

"Lost, Balor?" Balor turned his head and there next to him was Wodanaz. He had not expected a visit from his paternal grandfather. "Your father is missing too but I think it is less lost than in hiding?"

"Can't you see him?"

"Not if he doesn't want to be found." Wodanaz looked around. "In my wanderings I came to every part of Third Earth, even to places across the sea, farther than the archipelago." He pointed to the walls of Garoh. "Look at them, never have they been broken. Not many can kind this place and yet you did with many an adventure in finding it." Wodanaz then put a hand on Balor's shoulder. "Prove yourself a shaman, use what you know. What do you feel?"

"A sound in my soul." Said Balor. "Like a… drum… Yes, a drum." Balor looked at a path leading away from Garoh. It is telling me to go down there."

"Be careful, lad." Warned Wodanaz. "Garoh is not Wilusa, Albalonga or even Lodbrok. Garoh is Garoh and that means dangers even to its own inhabitants." And with that he vanished as Balor went down that path.

As Wodanaz returned to the Astral Plane, his eyes turned from Balor to Mumm-Ra. That demon, one whom he had become aware of as his ship approached Third Earth. He could have easily struck down Mumm-Ra once and for all but if he were to do that he may become worshipped as a god and that was something Wodanaz did not want. When had been a mortal Evabon he had no dreams of godhood and now that he had ascended to the floating mountain across the rainbow bridge, now that he was a Celestial he still did not have dreams of godhood.

No. Although the right to Mumm-Ra's defeat belonged to an Evabon this time but not him.


	17. He has annihilated the Blest Boy

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

"**He has annihilated the Blest Boy of Mumm-Ra!"**

Dark and long was the path Balor had chosen to venture down. Immediately, Balor was returned to his childhood and a memory of one night in the wilderness that the clan, his clan, had come to call home. The ThunderCats had been visiting. It had been an improbable night and he, Brigid and the Wilys had gone for a walk.

It hadn't been long after Brigid's rescue, it hadn't been long after Kernunnos'… That night… Balor could still hear the burning of the stronghold, still see the roof coming down on… Kernunnos had been his friend…

The drums and the chanting of that night from the clan still rung in Balor's ears sometimes! Gard was the only one who had not participated in the chanting and drumming. What he had said stuck in Balor's mind.

"I have lived centuries of my life in this wilderness with neither fear of its denizens or the extramundane! I will not start now!"

This had caused Dalv to give an unlikely response.

"You and Zuvowang may have nothing to fear but I lived far from the wilderness! Aged I may be but I will not back exempt myself from the warding of evil!"

The clan; whom was co-lead by Gard, Zuvowang and Dalv; all replied with: "He has annihilated the Blest Boy of Mumm-Ra!" And followed suit with Dalv's ways.

Dalv may have been the one to wound Jaques on the grounds of Mumm-Rana's temple but it had hardly been him that had annihilated Jaques.

Feeling like proving his bravery to his peers, for the boys of the clan often thought of him as a joke to Gard's bloodline, Balor had gone forth and such was the reason for his walk with Brigid and the Wily's following him. They had followed him out of fear that when he got like that he would hurt himself. The three remembered well the komrev lead by Thulsa.

That night, the physical and astral plane overlapped. Such things happen on such nights in the wilderness and the result was for the lines between incubus and actuality to blur. Balor was starting to relive that feeling although nothing had happened quite yet.

Brigid, the ThunderCats, Gard, Zuvowang, Dalv, he missed them all! He wanted someone here by his side.

And then something did appear. From its aura, Balor could tell it to be an Expiry Ghost in the form of an Evabon no less. Essentially a creature of the living dead, an Expiry Ghost was seen as the same species of whoever looked at it. These spirits had roots in black magic.

"Wilusan… Go home! Garoh is not a place for you to wander!" The Expiry Ghost had not just taken on the appearance of any Evabon but Balor's foster father Orin. What evil did this thing intend?


	18. I Am the Gentlewoman Who Never Departed

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

"**I Am the Gentlewoman Who Never Departed This Life"**

"What ever you may be, you are not the only father I had ever known until my blood father entered my life." Balor stared at the Expiry Ghost that had taken Orin's form. To take on the appearance of Orin was insulting. To take on the appearance of anyone else who was deceased would be equally as insulting.

"Then maybe someone else will get you to leave." And with that the Expiry Ghost vanished. There was no smoke, no flash of light. It was just gone.

The comment just caused Balor to raise an eyebrow. Someone else? Who? A false Procyon? A phantom of his mother? Who would it be to convince him to leave? Surely this place could not be so terrible that the rightful Chieftain of Evabon had no place here.

He continued down the path. Eventually he came to something, he wasn't sure what, but it was an entrance to something. Whatever it was, be it citadel or abbey or even channel house, it led downward. If it were a citadel it must have been the remains of the cell. If it were an abbey then it must have been the remains of a records place.

Showing no fear, he descended.

Pillars. Rows and rows of pillars! That was all Balor could see! How far they went on for he could not tell. If this place were some manner of illusion he would have liked to know how to break…

"There is no truth in illusions." That was something Dalv had once said.

Putting a hand on a nearby pillar, Balor found it to be no illusion. But what of the others? How far did he have to go until he found one that wasn't real?

"It is abnormal, isn't it?" A woman's voice! A young woman's voice! Not the voice of anyone Balor knew. Sure enough a woman appeared from behind the pillar Balor had placed a hand on. She was an Evabon for the most part, her webbed fingers and Cat eyes caused her to look as abnormal as this place.

"Who are you?" asked Balor. His eyes kept darting back and forth to her eyes and fingers. "What are you?"

"I am the gentlewoman who never departed life." That told Balor absolutely nothing besides the obvious.

"Have you a name?" asked Balor.

"Kleopatra."


	19. Enclosed by the Assembly Room

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

**Enclosed by the Assembly Room of the Asleep**

Balor looked at Kleopatra. He wasn't exactly sure she was an Evabon. She looked like one but she had webbed hands and eyes like a cats. Her skin was a dusty gray color Balor felt if his skin had been another color Kleopatra's skin would have been a dusty version of that color.

"What is this place?" asked Balor.

"The assembly room of the dead." Stated Kleopatra. Her garb was that of a bedlah. Balor couldn't help but think that she was quite alluring but he was very much committed to Brigid. "Garoh was struck by the plague last year. Fifty of Garoh's finest died. I too was infected. I should have died and yet I did not." Balor did not know what to say. How did he respond to something like that?

"I-I'm looking for-"

"A woman?"

"Uh, no… Cairn na Cairbre."

"You're here." Kleopatra waved her hand around. "As you can see it has expanded before being a tomb for one." Indeed it had. "Even more than that. It is where the magical arts are practiced and Garoh's sanctuary." Balor had a feeling that it wasn't as much Garoh's sanctuary as Garoh itself by now.

"Where is the Pike of Light?"

"Why?" asked Kleopatra. "Do you mean to steal my ancestor's weapon?"

"No, I mean to borrow it so I might drive Mumm-Ra from Wilusa."

"Mumm-Ra?" asked Kleopatra. "Who is Mumm-Ra?" What was also a good question! "And why do you want to drive this Mumm-Ra from Wilusa? Do you intend to be liberator or conqueror?"

"Actually, I'm the rightful Chieftain of Evabon."

Kleopatra laughed. It was not a cruel laugh but an amused one. "You say you are but how do I know you are not lying?"

Balor was silent for a moment. What was he to say? If Kleopatra had never heard of Mumm-Ra then she most likely didn't know about Wilusan chieftains and thus did not know about him. It was at that point that he remembered something Gard rarely but did sometimes say. "What does your gut tell you?"

Kleopatra did not give an answer. She merely grabbed and kissed him. "Well, you aren't an illusion." Balor was thinking the same thing. "And yet you have not told me your name. Who are you, Wilusan, if you are truly a Wilusan."

"Balor."

"Well, Balor, as you know I am Kleopatra but everyone calls me the 'aberration' because of my deformities." Deformities? Well, that explained it. For a moment Balor was thinking Kleopatra had been something else entirely. "One would think they'd treat me with more respect considering whom I'm descended from." One would. "But I must ask what reward will you give me for helping you get the Pike of Light?"

"A good deed is its on reward."

"Maybe but I want something a bit more than that." Balor raised an eyebrow. What could she possibly want? "Make me your bride as a reward."

"I already have a bride." Said Balor.

"Your hetaera then!" Kleopatra's eyes were blazing like fire. "Bride or hetaera, I want to find a way to get justice for my treatment by my own people! I want to be in a station that will make them regret their treatment of me!"

Balor blinked a few times. How did he get out of this? He couldn't believe he was going to do this but he had to. It was so stupid! "Look! A distraction!" It had been something Kat had used when they were kids. Kernunnos, rest his soul, would be fooled by it and Balor himself would have just begun to turn when he realized there was nothing there. He didn't expect Kleopatra to look but look she did. When she turned, he ran. He didn't know where he was going. All he needed was to get away from her. Far away!


	20. Blooming from the Dirt

**Welcome back everyone. On Fictionpress, I have decided to redo my Evabon story "Outcast of the Evabon" as "A Crown Princess of the Third Globe", which will feature many of the same characters naturally but a whole new plot. Enjoy and review.**

**Blooming from the Dirt Shall Mumm-Ra's Empire Arise**

In Wilusa, half of then year had passed. Mumm-Ra had returned, taking out his anger on Gard having escaped him on Orsino. The more Orsino thought about it, the less he liked his place now that Donalbain had returned.

Already news of armies marching to Wilusa had come. Mumm-Ra and Donalbain were ready, as was Orsino to an extent.

"Donalbain, what have Kaynar and Vultaire to say about the coming battle?" asked Mumm-Ra.

Donalbain scratched a shield with his sword. "Nothing, O Mumm-Ra."

"Nothing?"

Donalbain nodded. "Yes. Kaynar is over joyed at being able to slaughter people and Vultaire at the thought of killing cats is quite pleased. You know how Vultaire is has grown more and more prejudiced."

Orsino muttered something. Mumm-Ra turned to stare at Orsino. "Have you something to say, Orsino." Orsino didn't respond. "Do you not wish to fight?"

"I love to fight, Great One." Said Orsino. He then looked at Donalbain. "Not as much as you do, comrade."

Donalbain stared. He stared with critical eyes. He suspected that Orsino was plotting something. What if he were to turn traitor? And lose his invulnerability? Impossible! But yet… Braks the Labinnac entered the room the three were in and walked over to Donalbain and whispered in his ear.

"Ah!"

"What has he to say, Donalbain?"

"My master, they say that all those who fought against you fourteen years ago and marching here. Gard is coming with them and every Wilusan that is against us has left Wilusa."

"And Balor?" Mumm-Ra looked at Donalbain, who in turn looked at Braks. Braks said nothing. He merely slinked away. There was no news of Balor, the threat to the puppet ruler and thus the threat to the plans of he who pulled the strings.


	21. Tambours of Danger

**Welcome back everyone. Just one more chapter to go! Enjoy and review.**

**Tambours of Danger**

Tambours were beaten. They told of the approaching danger. It was the danger of war! The war to take back Wilusa! Balor had arrived at a camp without the Pike of Light. He was sorry to reveal that it was a myth. Lion-O looked at Gard as he stroked his chin. This was bothering him. Evabon could not use the Sword of Omens, no one but a Lion could. How was anyone to defeat Mumm-Ra save for Lion-O?

"Well, looks like I have to put an end to Mumm-Ra again." Lion-O stood up from his seat and held up the Sword of Omens. The ThunderCats saved the world before now we have to do so again.

"Sit back down, Lion-O." Gard didn't even look at Lion-O. He just continued to stroke his chin. "If Mumm-Ra had started at Thundera again then it would be your right to destroy him but he started at Wilusa so he is the problem of all the Wilusan clans!"

"Not just the Wilusan clans, Gard." Said Balor. "The Albalongan, Lothbrokian and Garoh clans are coming to our aid." There was a look of shock on everyone's faces. Even Zuvowang who had been to Albalonga was in shock.

"All of the clans… of every Evabon nation… This is incredible." Zuvowang looked at Tygra who was standing next to him. "Can you imagine if every cat clan came to the aid of Thundera when it was under attack by Mumm-Ra?"

"I'm happy they didn't." replied Tygra. "I have changed for the better since then. I've gained a better appreciation for other races that I never would have gained if Thundera had not fallen." Tygra's answer caused Zuvowang to nod. He was quite right. "And besides, I've got some interest in that contraption Dalv is working on, the on he said Antaeus used at the battle of Elfshima. How exactly does one make a weapon out of mirrors?"

"Not the mirrors, Tygra." Corrected Gard. "The sunlight! That will be our weapon!"

"But what about Mumm-Ra?" asked Balor. "Surely, we cannot destroy him with sunlight."

Gard looked down. He had yet to think of something. It seemed like everyone was looking to the elders for answers today. Lion-O was the one who had ended Mumm-Ra before, they could have at least asked him.

But they didn't. The young people weren't being asked questions. Only the elders!

A sound then came to everyone's ears. The tambours in the middle of the camp were being beaten faster. The enemy was approaching!


	22. The Road to Wilusa

**Welcome back everyone. We have now come to the end of this story. Enjoy and review.**

**The Road to Wilusa**

The battle had been long and hard. The road to Wilusa was littered with the bodies of Evabon, Labinnac, Cat, Lizard, Dog, Elephant and the like. Vultaire had been taken prisoner, having surrendered but Kaynar still fought on, as did Donalbain and Orsino. Dalv had been wounded but otherwise was still living and complaining about a tiny scratch, while Zuvowang had been forced to retreat from having lost the energy to fight and was dangerously close to collapsing but Gard still fought on. Into the very jaws of death, Gard wielded his sword and axe. Into the night a titan sent trolls and ogres to meet their maker.

So far was he from friends and allies that Gard was constantly ready for an attack. Constantly turning, his right eye constantly darting he looked around waiting for an attack as he marched on.

"Where is he that dares call himself 'the Ever-Living?'" he asked, challenging Mumm-Ra himself. "Where is he that is a heathen of sin?"

At that moment a villainous shadow crept out of Wilusa and appeared before Gard. It was he. The Ever-Living! Mumm-Ra! If there was one who more deserved the title of 'Evil Incarnate' it was Mumm-Ra!

"So the old tolac comes to court death." Taunted Mumm-Ra.

"The tolac's fur might be grey but his teeth are still sharp." Was Gard's response! This single response caused Mumm-Ra's eyes to widen with anger. This lesser creature dared to give such a response to him?

"How can one who is not armed with the Sword of Omens possibly hope to defeat me?"

"I'm smart, I'll think of something."

"Not smart enough."

Mumm-Ra brought forth a hand and shot a bolt of lightning at Gard. Immediately Gard jumped out of the way. The lightning missed Gard and struck an old tree causing it to burn.

Now there was an idea!

Sheathing in sword and putting his axe back in its holster, Gard threw his head back and laughed. Deeply and loudly he laughed. It was Gard's turn to taunt.

"Surely, if you were as powerful now as you were years ago would I not be dead?"

That did it. Like a raging volcano, Mumm-Ra flew at Gard! With the grace of a flying arrow, Gard avoided Mumm-Ra. Again and again this happened. Ultimately, they ended up in a room filled with jars. Once inside the room, Gard threw one of the jars at Mumm-Ra.

Mumm-Ra paused for a moment to inspect the contents of the jar, now all over him. A clear liquid that was not water but something else. What was this? He then looked up at Gard, now holding a torch.

"Burn!" Gard threw the torch at Mumm-Ra and soon he was just a memory. He was dead again. Hopefully, for good this time!

On the battlefield, Donalbain and Orsino both paused as they noticed that their scratches did not heal. Mumm-Ra was dead. With their enemies surrounding them, Orsino held up his hands.

"I surrender!" Orsino handed his sword to Balor. "I surrender to you, Chieftain Balor."

"You perfidious lowlife!" Donalbain, still with his sword in hand, thrust it forward into Orsino's neck. Everyone stared in shock: Cat, Dog, Evabon all! Mumm-Ra was dead. Why did Donalbain not surrender? Donalbain then looked at Balor. The look in his eyes was that of a mad beast. "First Orsino, now you… All who do not worship Mumm-Ra will die by my blade!"

Tygra, who stood next to Balor, was shocked by the lunacy of Donalbain. "Mumm-Ra is dead!"

"As long as I live Mumm-Ra will never dead! No longer is he Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living but Mumm-Ra the All-Powerful!" Donalbain rose up his sword but stopped as he saw Gard's reflection in the armor of a Thunderan solider. Turning to look upon Gard, the half-blind and lame Donalbain gripped his sword. "You!" He limped over to Gard and pointed at his left eye. The damage was by Gard's sword. "You did this to me! My eye, my leg! And now I shall repay you for it."

Gard scoffed. "Ha! You would try to do it here? Look around! The labinnac are leaving for their homeland, Vultaire surrendered and Kaynar is missing. If you try to kill me here you, without Mumm-Ra's power, will be as dead as Orsino." Gard then glared, his good eye blazing like blue fire. "Come on and try you fanatic!"

Donalbain then turned to look around. All eyes were on him. The eyes of his enemies! He then turned to strike Gard but only looked at his enemies that surrounded him. Ultimately, he lowered his sword and walked away. As he walked away, he heard the voices of Evabon chanting Balor's name as he was lead back to Wilusa triumphantly.

In Wilusa, there was a great cause to celebrate! The statue of Mumm-Ra had been toppled and soon Brigid would be back in Wilusa. She and Balor would be married. The Gardites and Zuvowangidae would be united twice over. Friends first and now they would be family.

**The End**


End file.
